scholarly journals Effects of a professional development program for teaching mathematics with technology on teachers’ beliefs, self-efficacy and practices

ZDM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 1411-1422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Thurm ◽  
Bärbel Barzel
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Epistemological Beliefs ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Teaching Mathematics ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Teaching With Technology ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Digital technologies such as multi-representational tools have the potential to enhance the learning of mathematics. In light of this potential, there is a ubiquitous call to integrate such tools into mathematics teaching. However, these technologies are still underused. Teaching with technology is not an easy task and teacher competencies such as knowledge and beliefs are a decisive factor. Therefore, professional development is important to professionalize teachers and support them in using technology in meaningful ways. Despite this need, little is known about the efficacy of professional development programs for teaching mathematics with technology. This quantitative study investigated the efficacy of a half-year professional development program for teaching mathematics with technology, using the methodology of a quasi-experimental design, in Germany. We captured (i) teachers’ beliefs about teaching with technology, (ii) self-efficacy beliefs related to teaching with technology, (iii) epistemological beliefs and (iv) self-reported frequency of technology uptake with quantitative questionnaires in pre- and post-tests. The experimental group (n = 39) participating in the professional development program consisted of mostly novices in using technology for teaching mathematics. Propensity score matching was used to match this group with a control group of teachers (n = 38) who did not participate in the professional development program. The strongest impact of the professional development program was found on teacher’s technology-related beliefs. Frequency of technology use seemed to increase gradually in the experimental group during the professional development program. No effect of the professional development program was found on self-efficacy beliefs and epistemological beliefs. We conclude by deriving recommendations for designing professional development programs related to teaching with technology.

Evaluating and Funding the Professional Development Program

2012 ◽  
pp. 206-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine L. Mark
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Budget Cuts ◽  
Effective Professional Development ◽  
Professional Development Programs

Professional development programs must have an organized process of evaluation, either formally or informally. The evaluation needs to be delivered in both micro and macro settings. In the micro setting, the evaluator monitors the overall atmosphere of the learning environment and the performance of the participants while training is taking place. In the macro setting, which consists of the teacher’s classroom, the evaluation needs to determine whether the teacher is actually using the knowledge gained during professional development to improve /impact student learning outcomes. In order for professional development to be effective, professional development programs should never be delivered and then forgotten. Further, locating funding and support are important due to the state of economic crisis and budget cuts. School districts have to look for creative ways to fund and support successful professional development programs. Some of these include developing technology resource centers, looking for federal and state funds, and looking toward individuals and corporations to help support and fund programs.

Designing a Professional Development Program

2012 ◽  
pp. 171-189
Author(s):  
Amy Payne
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Development Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Effective Professional Development ◽  
The World ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
Professional Development Programs

Professional development is an essential aspect of any career. Many professions have minimum standards or requirements of training each year to maintain a license and/or job. This chapter outlines the necessary components for effective professional development training in terms of technology use, and examines some reasons why certain professional development programs may be ineffective. The chapter also discusses ways to assess the overall efficiency of a professional development program and highlight some outstanding professional development programs/practices in existence. A comparison between professional development practices performed in the United States with other countries around the world is provided to offer an understanding how professional development can vary depending upon culture.

Evaluating and Funding the Professional Development Program

2014 ◽  
pp. 1685-1705
Author(s):  
Christine L. Mark
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Budget Cuts ◽  
Effective Professional Development ◽  
Professional Development Programs

Professional development programs must have an organized process of evaluation, either formally or informally. The evaluation needs to be delivered in both micro and macro settings. In the micro setting, the evaluator monitors the overall atmosphere of the learning environment and the performance of the participants while training is taking place. In the macro setting, which consists of the teacher's classroom, the evaluation needs to determine whether the teacher is actually using the knowledge gained during professional development to improve /impact student learning outcomes. In order for professional development to be effective, professional development programs should never be delivered and then forgotten. Further, locating funding and support are important due to the state of economic crisis and budget cuts. School districts have to look for creative ways to fund and support successful professional development programs. Some of these include developing technology resource centers, looking for federal and state funds, and looking toward individuals and corporations to help support and fund programs.

Benefits of Internal Professional Development for Academic Librarians

2014 ◽  
pp. 1537-1550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carissa Tomlinson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Employee Morale ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Local Institution ◽  
Academic Librarian ◽  
Individual Knowledge

While often overlooked, there are many benefits of in-house professional development programs for academic librarians. This is especially true as the roles of academic librarians continue to evolve and change. This chapter argues that internal professional development not only helps academic librarians share their varied skills, tools, and practices with institutional colleagues, but also improves employee morale, collegiality, and organizational culture. Additionally, by structuring an internal professional development program using a peer-learning model, librarians gain a sense of community while seeing value in each librarian's individual knowledge. Also, peer learning can be a mechanism for institutional knowledge management and the transfer of institutional memory through intergenerational and cross job function learning. In addition to exploring the evolving nature of the academic librarian and the importance of professional development as peer learning in the context of the local institution, this chapter will describe in detail one university library's internal professional development program for librarians.

Developing effective professional development programs: a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 542-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Guo
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Need Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Professional Development ◽  
Professional Development Programs

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the practices of a well-established professional development committee (PDC) at an academic library to reveal the development of effective professional development programs with various themes and the diversified delivering formats and the assessment of library employees’ training needs and the effectiveness of professional development programs with Needs Assessment Surveys and Program Follow-up Employee Opinion Surveys. Professional development programs are widely adopted in academic libraries to support the professional growth of library employees and improve the quality of library services. Developing, promoting and administering professional development programs are main responsibilities of the PDC. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based upon the PDC’s recent practices since 2011. The Needs Assessment Surveys (in 2012 and 2013) are conducted electronically, so are the Opinion Surveys since 2013 which are formerly conducted in paper. Findings – The well-planned professional development program themes with special designed delivery formats have demonstrated their effectiveness through high attendance of each professional development event. The positive results and high compliments from both Need Assessment Surveys and Opinion Surveys also endorse their values to employee’s professional growth. Originality/value – This paper classifies various professional development program ideas into six program themes and three special delivery formats, and each is presented with intention, planning and organization. This paper also provides details of using different Need Assessment Surveys and Opinion Surveys for evaluation, which is also lacked in published literature.

scholarly journals Putting inquiry-based learning into practice: How teachers changed their beliefs and attitudes through a professional development program

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Hofer ◽  
Anja Lembens
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Inquiry Based Learning ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

AbstractDespite the tremendous efforts which have been made over the last few years, inquiry-based learning (IBL) has not become an established practice in science education yet. Even if teachers consider IBL an important and valuable approach, they still refrain from implementing it in their own science classes. Research findings suggest that the teachers’ beliefs and attitudes have a crucial influence on their classroom practice. Only if they are compatible with the approach of IBL, the teachers will be willing to implement IBL in their own classes. This article demonstrates how the beliefs and attitudes of three Austrian chemistry teachers changed over the period of a 9-monthly professional development program (PDP). In order to ascertain their beliefs and attitudes regarding IBL previous to and after the PDP, we conducted a group discussion and three individual interviews. The statements from both dates were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis and indicate substantial changes concerning the teachers’ beliefs about the efficacy, capability and practicability of IBL. After participating in the PDP, the teachers took a more positive attitude regarding both IBL in general and its implementation. Considering the findings from this study, we formulate implications for designing PDP at the end.

Professional Development for Online Educators

2012 ◽  
pp. 204-226
Author(s):  
Angela Velez-Solic ◽  
Jennifer R. Banas
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Online Educators

A professional development program for online faculty members can be difficult to create, implement, and sustain. Its components will vary depending on the location of the online faculty, the institutional budget, and who is administering the program. A professional development program is essential if institutions wish to keep instructors up-to-date on technological advances and pedagogical shifts as online classrooms change. Today’s online faculty members are inundated with “information overload” due to the internet and because information is increasing exponentially, which results in pressure to “keep up” (Sherer, Shea, & Kristensen, 2003). Because of this pressure and the proliferation of learning tools, institutions need to help faculty filter and use the information available to them. This chapter will focus on essential components of professional development programs, issues and potential solutions, examples from successful programs, and future trends in online professional development.

scholarly journals Agroforestry education for high school agriculture science : a case study of novel content implementation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hannah Hemmelgarn
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
High School ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Social Resilience ◽  
Teacher Self Efficacy

High school agriculture science programs are recognized as meaningful arenas to reach young agriculture professionals as they gain a foundational understanding of their field. While sustainability is at the forefront of agriculture research and technological advancements, and is critical to student career readiness, the adoption of novel sustainable agriculture content in the high school curriculum has not been implemented for certain sustainable agriculture practices. Agroforestry represents one such content area that has been largely lacking in high school agriculture science classrooms, despite its relevance to modern agricultural advancements in sustainability for economic, environmental, and social resilience. Due to the contextual nature of content adoption by agricultural educators, the curriculum implementation process for novel content is dependent on an understanding of teacher learning, teacher self-efficacy, professional development, and curriculum modification. This case study of the process of novel content implementation examines the complexities of teacher sourcing, modification, and use of novel content, evaluates an agroforestry professional development program for teachers with varying levels of experience, and follows this group of teachers one year after the professional development program to investigate the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and novel content enactment. The importance of teacher-learning support networks and experiential learning in curriculum and professional development emerged as major themes for effective novel content implementation.

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